Silver Mist
ThunderClan Leader, Bramblestar - dark brown tabby tom with amber eyes Deputy, Cinderheart - grey tabby she-cat Medicine cat, Jayfeather - grey tom with blue eyes Warriors, Squirrelflight - dark ginger she-cat with green eyes Sandstorm - pale ginger she-cat with green eyes Brackenfur - golden brown tabby tom Cloudtail - long-haired white tom with blue eyes Brightheart white she-cat with ginger patches Sorreltail - tortoiseshell she-cat with amber eyes Birchfall - light brown tabby tom Whitewing - white she-cat with green eyes Poppyfrost totrtoiseshell she-cat Berrynose - cream-coloured tom Hazeltail - small grey and white tom Mousewhisker - grey and white tom Lionblaze - golden tabby tom with amber eyes Icecloud - white she-cat Foxleap - reddish tabby tom Rosepetal - dark cream coloured she-cat Briarpelt - dark brown she-cat Bumblestripe - pale grey tom with black stripes Blossomcloud - pale brown she-cat with dark stripe along spine Apprentices, Dovepaw - fluffy grey she-cat with green eyes ''(Kit of Whitewing and Birchfall)'' Ivypaw - light tabby she-cat with blue eyes ''(Kit of Whitewing and Birchfall)'' Redpaw - bright ginger tom ''(Mother and father unknown)'' Snowpaw - snow-white she-cat with green eyes ''(Mother and father unknown)'' Hollypaw - brown tabbt she-cat with green eyes ''(Kit of Hazeltail and Foxleap)'' Queens, Ferncloud - pale grey (with darker flecks) she-cat with green eyes, mother of Dustpelt's kits: Janglekit (tortoiseshell she-cat), Rainkit (grey tabby she-cat) Daisy - pale cream she-cat, mother of Smoky's kit: Owlkit (speckled brown and white tom) Millie - silver tabby she-cat, expecting Greystripe's kits Elders, Longtail - light brown tom with darker stripes, retired early due to failing sight Dustpelt - pale brown tabby tom Greystripe - long-haired grey tom, retired early due injuries that did not respond to herbs ---- Prologue Moonlight washed over the silent clearing, turning everything silver. Not even the small breeze stirred the leaves of the trees. An owl called out, it's loud ''twitwoo'' echoing around the apparently empty forest. Suddenly a bramble thicket quivered and a blue-grey she-cat stepped out, her fur shimmering in the silver light. A herd of other cats followed including a ginger tom with a flame-coloured pelt. "Bluestar!" the tom yowled, leaping past other cats to get to the she-cat's side. Bluestar paused. "What is it, Firestar?" she asked impatiently, flicking her ears. Firestar glanced at a cat amongst the crowd. A long-haired grey she-cat. "I don't think this is for all ears to hear," he meowed. Bluestar snorted and began to walk again. ''Yellowfang! Of course the old medicine cat can be trusted'', she thought. She marched into the clearing and sat on the damp grass. The others followed. Bluestar waited until every cat had settled. "A prophecy has been told!" she yowled. Her voice, like the owl's, echoed around the clearing. Anxious mews came from the crowd. "Tell us!" One cat yowled. Her fur was a dusky brown colour and she was quite small. Her eyes glittered greedily up at Bluestar. Perhaps Firestar was half right. Maybe some cats could not be trusted. Bluestar shook the thoughts away and carried on. "''Fire and water will clash. Blood and darkness will rule the forest until the tabby walks through the mist''," Bluestar shouted above the murmurs. "We must be prepared! But do not worry. The tabby will come when the season is coldest." Wails now came from the cats as they thought of their clans ruled by darkness. Bluestar gazed at the chosen StarClan cats. These cats did not know what the prophecy meant yet but she did. This would be the worst darkness the clans had been through yet and it was hard to believe that they would make it through all the blood and death and terrible secrets. Bluestar's gaze rested on Firestar. his daughter, Squirrelflight would play a big part in the prophecy. Bluestar shuddered as she remembered the scene she had seen in the StarPool. All the clans would have to work together to get through this. Even then they would struggle. The branches of a hazel bush quivered and a cat came through. Her fur glittered as bright as the brightest star. This cat was new to StarClan. The cat's turned to the stranger. "It has begun!" the cat cried. "The darkness has come to destroy!" Bluestar leaped towards the strange cat, resting her tail on her shoulder. "Tell us what you know," she mewed, gently. The cat was trembling furiously but she sat down on the grass and wrapped her tail around her paws. Bluestar gazed up at the she-cat. She was big and tough with a thick grey coat. But although the she-cat was young and strong she was obviously distressed. "One cat can not be trusted," she meowed in a deep rasping voice. She must be a lot older than she looked. "He is another relation to Tig-Tigerstar." Her voice trembled and Bluestar iomagined the dark tabby. "He was never meant to be. Always supposed to roam a different forest alone but he followed a scent trail to the lake. A rouge from horseplace told him about the cats living here and he now lurking in the ranks of one of the four clans. I have not been shown any more so I don't know which clan he has found. All I know is that he has found one and he is the most dangerous cat even the oldest elder has ever seen. He will bring blood, death and darkness wherever he goes and will have to be destroyed." Bluestar gasped. Another relation to Tigerstar! StarClan had not been shown this. The other StarClan cats obviously shared her thoughts. Horrified yowls came from them. This would be a dark, red and cold season. Chapter One Snowflakes danced down and landed on the ice. Hollykit watched, her tail sliding from side to side on the slippery ice and her claws were unsheathed to stop herself from skidding into any other cats. Her sister, Snowkit was not aloud outside yet because she was blind in one eye and slightly deaf. Her father had told Hollykit not to tell her sister that but Hollykit had already known that Snowkit was a bit touchy about it. Her mother and father had two other reasons to keep Snowkit confined to the nursery though. One, Snowkit had suffered from a bought of greencough and not yet recovered and two, it was the middle of leaf-bare. Hollykit slid easily into her hunter’s crouch. The tortoiseshell apprentice, Honeypaw had taught it to her a few moons ago. She could now slide in and out of the position as easily as all of the apprentices. So could Bravekit though. He was Poppyfrost’s only kit and was three moons older than her. He was already much bigger than some of the younger apprentices and just as strong too. But then again he was older than the younger apprentices. Poppyfrost had put off his apprentice ceremony until he was older because he was really sick with blackcough when he was supposed to be made an apprentice. Hollykit could imagine him in the middle of a battle, eyes glittering ferociously and claws glinting in the moonlight. She shook her head free of the horrible image and turned her attention back to the leaf she had been stalking. Sliding a paw forward, Hollykit bunched her muscles and leaped forwards, landing perfectly on the leaf. Imagining it as a mouse, she nipped it quickly before it could squeak and scare away all the other prey. But this was just a leaf and no use to ThunderClan. “Good catch!” purred a voice from behind. It was Honeypaw. Hollykit turned, letting the leaf flutter away. “What use is a leaf?” she meowed. “It’s not like it would feed any elders. Unless the elder was a horse.” Honeypaw tipped her head to the side. “How do you know horses eat leaves?” she asked curiously. What kind of question was that? Hollykit’s ears flicked impatiently. She could see Brambleclaw coming through the thorn-tunnel. He was who she’d come to see and Squirrelflight had said she was only aloud outside if he was around. “I figured if they ate grass they eat leaves too,” Hollykit jumped to the side, bounding over to her father. Brambleclaw purred but Hollykit could tell his mind was somewhere else. “I’m going to speak with Firestar,” he meowed. She ducked out of his way. “So I have to go to back to the nursery?” Hollykit asked. “I’ve been stuck in the nursery for days.” Brambleclaw shook his head, resting his tail on her shoulder. “You can still stay outside,” he replied. Hollykit watched as her father leaped up onto the HighLedge and dissapear into Firestar's den. He was so huge! She wondered if she would ever grow that big. Probably not. Hollykit was barley bigger than Hazeltail’s kits, Redkit and Brindlekit. They were only three moons old. Hollykit and Snowkit were five and a half moons old and would be made apprentices in only a couple of moonrises. She couldn’t wait! Being able to stalk through the forest and fight for ThunderClan! “Hollykit!” Hollykit leaped around, forgetting to dig her claws her into the ice. Letting out a startled yowl, she went skidding towards the elder’s den. There was black ice beneath her and she was going faster than a rabbit could run. “I going to crash!” she yelped helplessly. “Help!” She tumbled the last few steps towards the elder's den before everything went black. ''Ouch!'' Hollykit's eyes flew open. She blinked in the dim light, trying to work out what was going on. Jayfeather and his apprentie, Ivypool were crouched over her. Snowkit, Squirrelflight and Brambleclaw were there too. Hollykit body shook and she clamped her jaws closed to keep back the yowl that was building up inside her. "Hollykit!" Snowkit exclaimed. "You're awake!" Awake? With a jolt, Hollykit realised the last thing she remembered was crashing into the elder's den. She shook her head. "What happened?" her voice sounded as if she was being strangled. Hollykit squeezed her eyes closed as black spots appeared in her vision. "Oh Hollykit," Squirrelflight mewed. "I was so worried. You hit your head so hard!" Hollykit shook her head. "No," she meowed. "What actually ''happened''? All I remember is slipping." "You never stopped slipping," Brambleclaw meowed. Hollykit eyes flew open. Brambleclaw sounded so far away. Her body shook again. "You fell down a hole inside the elder's den wall. Lionblaze got you out." Hollykit's eyes began to sting, and she narrowed her eyes, straining to see. But a spasm ran through her body and she began writhing in pain. Her stomach twisted and she gagged, struggling for breath. What was happening to her? Suddenly she saw everything in red. Blood dripping, jaws snapping, shrieks of pain. Hollykit gasped as everything went back to normal. Had she just a vision? A vision of blood, darkness, secrets and agony. Chapter Two